Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for reform of the way districts are drawn for
state and federal legislative offices. Currently, the California legislature has
the power to draw district lines for the state Assembly, the state Senate and
the U.S. House of Representatives. Each house draws its own districts, and they
work together on the congressional districts. In California, legislators have
used their redistricting authority to construct districts that protect
incumbents. In other states, like Texas, the majority party draws district lines
to entrench their political control. This process is often called partisan
gerrymandering, named for Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry who in 1812
crafted a salamander-shaped district for political purposes. Redistricting often
must occur after the decennial census to readjust boundaries to account for
population shifts. The redistricting reform supported by Schwarzenegger would
shift the power to draw district lines to a nonpartisan commission of retired
judges. This report, by USC professor and IRI director Elizabeth Garrett,
discusses the history of apportionment reform in California, current
developments, and prospects for future reform.